Kalona, Iowa, is situated in the eastern part of the state, in northern Washington County, 19 miles southwest of Iowa City. It had a population of 1,015 in 1957 (2,293 in 2000), a considerable number of whom were (Old) Mennonites. Amish and Mennonite farmers lived in the areas surrounding the town, although the center of their community lay to the northwest. The nearest Mennonite church, East Union Mennonite Church, was located two miles north of Kalona, and the nearest Conservative Mennonite church, Fairview, was a mile farther north and two east. Six Old Order Amish congregations were located near the town. A considerable number of the members of the Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church have a Kalona address.